1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector device provided in equipment used by drawing and inserting an IC card, and in particular, to an eject mechanism for discharging an IC card that is inserted.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, connector devices each are schematically constructed with a pin header section where multiple pin contacts for connecting to socket contacts in an IC card are located in a pin housing, a frame guiding the IC card at the time of draw and insert, an eject mechanism for discharging from the pin contacts the IC card that is inserted, and the like, and connector devices where a pin housing and a frame are molded in one piece are also well-known.
Hitherto, the connector devices widely adopted are those that are constructed with a push rod that is held on the external side of the frame so that reciprocation motion along the direction of drawing and inserting the IC card can be performed, and an eject bar rotatably supported on the frame or the pin housing, and in which an end of the eject lever is engaged with the push rod. A connector device providing such an eject mechanism has a disadvantage that, if the push rod is pushed in when the IC card is inserted, the IC card can be easily drawn with fingers by a hook section of the eject lever, rotating with interlocking with this push rod, pushing the IC card to the near side, but since the push rod projects to the near side, the push rod is erroneously operated against user's intention during the time of connecting the IC card.
Against this, a connector device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 6-13072 comprises first and second transfer levers performing link connection between a push rod and a slide plate, a third transfer lever attachable to and detachable from the second transfer lever pivoted by the first transfer lever, and a heart-shaped cam mechanism that can lock the push rod at pushed-in and projecting positions. Further, the connector device is constructed so that a pushing force may be selectively transferred to the slide plate according to a projection amount of the push rod. Thus, in inserting the IC card, although the third transfer lever does not engage with the second transfer lever and the push rod is at the pushed-in position, if the push rod is further pulled to the near side after projecting the push rod by the projecting position by the heart-shaped cam mechanism, the third transfer lever engages with the second transfer lever at the position. Hence, if the push rod is pressed toward the pushed-in position in this state, the pushing force is transferred to the slide plate through each transfer lever, and the slide plate pushes the IC card to the near side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent misoperation of the push rod by the push rod being locked at the pushed-in position when the IC card is inserted and being projected only when the IC card is discharged.
In this manner, according to the connector device disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, since the push rod can be locked at the pushed-in position during the time of connecting the IC card, it is possible to prevent misoperation of the push rod against user's intention. However, since the pushing force of the push rod is selectively transferred to the slide plate in dependence on postures of the three transfer levers link-connected, this connector device has a problem that such a transfer mechanism becomes complicated and workability in assembling is lowered.